Tuesday, November 29, 2011

This year, I had a wonderful Black Friday. My mother, Liam and I drove down to the Waterloo Premium Outlets and shopped for the deals of deals. We lightened our purses considerably (purchased a few purses) and had a very good time.

We spent the night in Geneva on the lake at a very pretty hotel. We took Liam for his first swim in a pool and thoroughly relaxed, dined, laughed and enjoyed ourselves. We didn't do a lot of waiting in lines and we just tried to enjoy the beautiful sunny day we were blessed with.

On Saturday, after room service (so fun) we made our way to Joann's for the shorter lines. I found some really adorable fabric and added quite a bit to my stash. For the first time in a long time I didn't even look through the remnants bin, I just bought what I wanted.

I'm not sure if the crosswords or the Eiffel towers are my favorite but they both called to me from the shelves!

I cannot tell you why but I loved this Rooster fabric, love, love, love!

And I thought this fruit was pretty darn cute too!

Someone very special has a mother who clipped this pillow (also pictured below) out of a magazine and requested one if I found some free time. As I've said before, there's nothing I like more than requests.

So while I was in Joann's I picked up some very adorable fabric and mesh. I heard that the very special someone is very interested in dinosaurs as of late. So once I get these Christmas Tree skirts out of the way, I will whip up this pillow and get it in the mail for Christmas. I'm pretty sure my little brother Matthew would appreciate one of these as well.

And lastly, I purchased some fabric for potholders, (again by request) how wonderful! I've only ever made one but I can't imagine they should be that difficult, only time will tell.

I also purchased Insul-Bright, which is the special lining that goes inside of potholders and provides more of a buffer against heat. The instructions suggest including a layer of Warm and White batting to absorb any moisture. I am slightly unsure as to where the regular batting would go in an oven mitt? Should I put it inbetween the fabric and Insul-Bright or inbetween the Insul-Bright and inside of the mitt? Anyone have experience with this?

Thursday, November 17, 2011

This morning, Liam woke me up bright and early, we played for an hour and I thought about my day. Today is a Quilting Day! Every Thursday I attend a "Quilting Class" or "Quilting Get-Together" with a few of the women from work. At 4:00pm, we set up our machines on large tables downstairs, spread out, someone makes a meal, sometimes we drink some wine, we laugh (sometimes silently curse) and quilt. I run home and bring Liam back with me (my mother and I trade off quilting with playing) and we have a great time. We rarely filter out of there before 7:30.

We are all currently working on Tree Skirts for Christmas! Tonight I am demoing how to baste and machine quilt since I finally added my prairie points. I brought as many quilts as I could find, plenty of spare batting and old fabric for practice. Many of the women are first time quilters so this should be a lot of fun and quite a bit frustrating at times. I have offered to quilt anyones' tree skirt who doesn't feel up to the task, it is a daunting one! I will check back sometime soon to give you the full run down!

In the interim... Please go check out my long-time friend Lauren's blog Craft My Life Away! Tuesday was her 1 year Blogiversary and she is offering a fabulous giveaway in commemoration! Lauren and I met in college and both studied accounting, you could say great minds think alike. She has always been an avid crafter and amazing knitter. I did however introduce her into the world of quilting, and she has been an unstoppable force ever since!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

As I read through my blog reading list I keep coming across the same theme over and over again. We are all completely exhausted, thoroughly worn, stressed out, running behind, catching up, making excuses, giving apologies, and beating ourselves up. As I read the updates, my already jam-packed, quick-paced, whirl of a life begins to feel even more cramped and overwhelming. I find myself making more lists, noting more fabulous projects I want to start, worrying about Christmas shopping, counting the days since I last posted and obsessing over the countless WIP's I have sitting at home beckoning to me while I sit at my "real" job and worry!

When I get home I find myself hoping Liam will be able to entertain himself long enough to allow me to get some quilting in or I'll be forced to stay up until midnight while he sleeps and forgo the few hours of peace I get in a day because "I have to get something done!" Wait, wait, wait, this seems slightly backwards...

I think most of us put quilting in the hobby category. Quilting is so often the "thing" that gives because we; can't dress in dirty clothes, eat from dirty dishes, munch on un-bought food, live without sleep, or be content without devoting those few free moments to our children, they are only little for so long.

So tonight, I will go home and clean my room, finish the laundry, organize my life and play with Liam to his heart's content. When he finally falls asleep in my arms; I am going to hold him, kiss him, stare at him, squeeze him and love him fully without so much as a glance at the idle sewing machine sitting in the corner. "Tomorrow," I say quietly to myself. "Tomorrow I will conquer the world." Today, I'm going to be content just living my life!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

My favorite 5 year old started Kindergarten this year, and boy were we thrilled! Although, Matthew has previously attended Head Start, this is his first year with a little bit more freedom. Kindergarten is a very large jump from Head Start, so along with a big school comes a big list of school supplies.

One of the things on the list was an art smock. The school recommends buying one at WalMart or using an old adult T-shirt. Well let me say that no little brother of mine need wear a used, oversized, plain jane T-shirt; so I got down to business.

I received this upholstry fabric from Liam's Aunt Kristine (this woman is a life saver). She happened to find it for 50 cents at a yardsale, talk about a steal!

Below is a picture of Liam with his Aunt Kristine, Uncle Scott and only cousin Logan (you'll find them mentioned countless times on my blog, they truly are a blessing!)

I started the smock by just taking measurements and praying for the best. I followed the idea behind this tutorial and kind of made the rest up as I went along.

Unlike the tutorial I sewed up the sides, I have found that little boys need clear arm holes and neck lines or they're sure to end up with a leg sticking out of one of them.

I put a fairly large pocket in the front because little boys like to keep trucks, cars, and various other life necessities always at their fingertips.

I put a strip of velcro along the back because a tie or snap is far too difficult, especially behind the neck.

We practiced getting into and out of it over and over again, until we finally got the hang of it!

It has been sent off to school and hopefully when we see it again at the end of the year it is covered in paint, glue, marker and glitter, because if not we will certainly question what IS covered in those things...

About Me

I am currently a very happy, busy mother of three adorable children! I am in love with my supportive husband, amazing children, wonderful parents and fabulous friends. I wish I could quilt every moment of every day but duty calls... and sometimes I answer.

Quilting Philosophy

Start each project, morning and friendship with a clean slate, a white wall, an open mind... then build upon that. Add pieces of only the things most important to you, cherish every single one, and choose wisely. Let everything you do be the best representation of everything you are.